In their fourth and final year under head coach Dudley DeGroot, the Yellowjackets compiled a 6–1 record and were ranked at No.
75 among the nation's college and military service teams in the final 1943 Litkenhous Ratings.
The 1943 Rochester team was composed largely of Marine Corps and Navy trainees who were transferred to the school as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program.
The incoming transfers included quarterback Eddie Fox (from Syracuse), center Ray Whelan (from LSU), and tackle Steve Skapinec (from New Mexico).
[2] The team played its home games at River Campus Stadium in Rochester, New York.